Gabbard-Backed Bill to Support Hawai"i Tourism Passes U.S. House
Press Release
The U.S. House of Representatives today voted to pass legislation supported by Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard (HI-02) to reauthorize BrandUSA, a public-private partnership that promotes U.S. travel to the global community. The Travel Promotion, Enhancement, and Modernization Act of 2014 (H.R. 4450) was introduced by members of the Congressional Travel & Tourism Caucus. It will reauthorize BrandUSA for five years and will add several accountability and transparency measures. The bipartisan legislation passed 347-57.
"Tourism is the most powerful driver of our local economy in Hawai"i, as we welcome visitors from countries in the Asia-Pacific region, and around the world," said Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, a member of the Congressional Travel & Tourism Caucus. "We need this commonsense legislation because if Congress supports tourism, we create jobs, grow our economy, and increase opportunity in our communities across the country. In Hawai"i, we are uniquely positioned to take full advantage of the BrandUSA reauthorization, and the public-private dollars that will be spent to promote the U.S. abroad."
"As a board member of BrandUSA, I understand how critically important hospitality, travel, and tourism is to the state of Hawai"i, and to our nation," said Roy Yamaguchi, BrandUSA board member and Hawai"i-based celebrity chef. "I'm grateful for Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard's leadership in championing our efforts in Washington. Because of this BrandUSA reauthorization, we can continue to promote our beautiful islands abroad to a global community of visitors!"
Last year, tourism in Hawai"i contributed $1.5 billion in total state tax revenue and supported 168,000 jobs, making it the largest generator of jobs across the islands.
BrandUSA's work is supported through a combination of private sector contributions and matching funds from an existing international visa fee. In Fiscal Year 2013, BrandUSA's marketing efforts generated one million incremental visitors, which resulted in $7.4 billion in total sales and supported more than 53,000 new U.S. jobs.
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